TurboTax Self-Employed 2017 – Discounts & Service Codes

To help you file your taxes in time this year (and hopefully get your big refund check early too!) TurboTax is offering $25.00 off the new Self-Employed version if you file by April 15, 2017. This version replaces the online version of Home & Business and is perfect for those that need to file both business and personal taxes this year. If you’re unsure if this version is right for you, you’ll be able to start your return online for free and you’ll only be asked to pay if you decide to file with TurboTax. See site for full offer details.

If you’re a user a Quicken and haven’t yet upgraded to the 2017 version, then there is no better time to upgrade because the TurboTax/Quicken bundle discount is back again during this tax season. Several retails seem to have it but our favorite place to pick it up is at Amazon. Buy a select TurboTax/Quicken bundle and you’ll get up to $20.00 off instantly on your entire order. You will also get free shipping. Offer should last through April 15, 2017.

If you haven’t used TurboTax before or your switching from another tax preparation program, then you’ll be able to try any of the online versions of TurboTax for free, including Self-Employed. As with all f TurboTax’s Online Editions, there is no software to install as you work as go through your online account at Intuit.com. Then if you decide to file with them, either a Federal return or both a Federal and State return, then you can pay for their program. H&R Block offers a similar free trial offer.

About Turbotax Self-Employed:

TurboTax Self-Employed is the latest addition to the line of online products offered by Intuit. It isn’t completely a new product but a revamped version of the previous Home & Business (Home & Business is still available as a download or on a CD.) It is meant for freelancers, contractors and small business or farm owners, and built to provide features that capture activities related to independent work.

With TurboTax Self-Employed you can expect the same quality product with industry specific deductions and credits. It also comes with one-year subscription to QuickBooks Self-Employed allowing you to track expenses as you go, automatically track mileage and store digital copies of your receipts. All this information can be later imported to TurboTax and populate all the right fields to save you time.

Getting started

Setting up the account is very easy and straightforward. You will have to answer some questions that are crucial to determine your tax brackets, deductions and tax related aspects. Those are typical questions you could expect wherever you have you tax return prepared. Some of those include:

– Your age

– Where you lived at the end of the last calendar year (zip code only).

– Marital status.

– Whether any of the following apply: Owned a home, rented, or was a student.

After this initial step you can provide even more details of what happened to you financially in the prior year. Those situations may or may not apply to everyone, but disclosing as much information as possible will help generate the most accurate tax return.

TurboTax Self-Employed also covers the following:

– Gambling winnings.

– Rental property income.

– Alimony received.

– Farm income

Once you select all that applies, the software creates a summary of the information you provided and begin the portion of entering the details of different forms you selected. Up until this point, it shouldn’t take you more that 30 minutes to get to this point and that includes setting up the account.

The next stage will vary in time based on complexity of your work and number of forms you received. This section involves answering additional personal questions (social security number, whether or not someone can claim you as a dependent, etc.) and providing income and expenses details for federal and state taxes. You can easily switch between any of these options in case your preference is different from what is suggested by the program.

This process can be quite exhausting especially if you’re trying to get it all done in one sitting. Plan accordingly and know that there aren’t really any shortcuts. Despite the fact that TurboTax is able to import W-2 forms from hundreds of employers (this could be a potential shortcut), this doesn’t apply to 1099 forms.

Getting help from TurboTax

Preparing taxes on your own may be confusing at times and TurboTax relies on economies of scale. What I mean by that is the company has enough clients it can provide tips and suggestions to the most common conundrums. It often lists typically asked questions and answers for you to gain clarity on the issue you are currently working on. If that’s not sufficient, you can access SmartLook – an online help. By selecting Contact Us you will be able to chat with tax professionals either from your computer or a smart phone.

What about security?

TurboTax Self-Employed can be used on your mobile device or a tablet whenever you are connected to the Internet. Naturally this may cause a concern about security, but the company continues working with the IRS and State Department of Revenues to ensure its security measures are up to the highest standards. Although security is a mutual responsibility, here are some of the steps taken by Intuit: